Member Testimonial: Michael and CJ Cogswell

My husband Michael and I are one of those rare things that y'all usually don't see moving to Memphis— Canadians! Canada is the land of poutine, maple syrup and butter tarts. Our lives would be so different if it weren't for Canadian discoveries like Hawaiian pizza, instant mashed potatoes, and our greatest export—the TV show “Schitt's Creek”.

You know, we even talk different than Americans We don't have dollar bills, we have coins called “loonies” and “toonies”. When you order your coffee at Tim Horton's (Timmies), it's a double-double.

We Canadians apologize for everything. If there was a “national word”, it would “sorry”. But it's pronounced like the word “sore”—“sorey”. But the most common thing you hear from Canadians is the word at the end of just about every sentence. As in, “Reverend Sam had a great sermon last week, eh?” It's the Canadian way of getting others to agree with what we are saying. “Eh?” invites your agreement and involvement.

I've been a Unitarian-Universalist for almost forty years now. Raised in a Pentecostal faith, I felt I was a square peg in a round hole and started exploring different faiths. That included some Eastern religions during my “hippie days” crisscrossing the country following the Grateful Dead in a 1967 VW bus. In the end, I discovered that I'm a humanist. I don't have any supernatural beliefs and yet—I absolutely love church! My happiness comes from belonging to a spiritual community of different faiths and beliefs.

So, why do Michael and I pledge and support this amazing community of The Church of the River? We support our church because as Unitarian-Universalists, it doesn't matter if you are Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian or atheist: you are welcome here!

As Unitarian-Universalists, it doesn't matter if you are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans. We don't judge you by who you love. And yes, you are welcome here!

As Unitarian-Universalists, we believe in a woman's right to control her own body. And if you have had to make that difficult decision with a pregnancy, then, yes, you are welcome here!

As Unitarian-Universalists, we believe taking care of our green planet is fundamental to who we are. And if you recycle your garbage, compost, believe that greenhouse gasses are polluting our hills and valleys then, yes, you are welcome here!

As Unitarian-Universalists, it doesn't matter if you have crossed the southern border, or the northern border, to be with us. Yes, you are welcome here!

And finally, as Unitarian-Universalists, we love that you are in community with us. And yes, we are all welcome here!